Council seeks planning approval for 94-home Athlone estate

The planning process has gotten underway for a 94-unit housing development on a council-owned site to the rear of Cornamagh cemetery in the Cornamaddy area of Athlone.

Westmeath County Council is seeking planning approval for the development, which is to consist of 86 houses and eight apartments on a 6.5 hectare site approximately 150 metres north of the N55 (Ballymahon Road).

Some 30% of the new homes are due to be allocated as social housing, with around 20% being offered under the affordable housing scheme, and the remaining 50% being sold on the open market.

The proposed works also include provision for car parking, hard and soft landscaping, site clearance works, access roads, footways, public lighting, drainage and service connections.

Once planning approval is in place, it's anticipated that the local authority will invite bids from a private developer for the construction and delivery of the housing scheme.

Athlone councillor Frankie Keena welcomed the commencement of the planning process and said that, if all goes according to schedule, he was hopeful construction might start in late 2026 or early 2027.

"This is good news, and I want to thank the housing capital team in the council for bringing this plan forward," said Cllr Keena.

"The development has been designed in-house by the housing capital team, based in Athlone, and the design is really attractive.

"It's positive news in terms of trying to help address the housing demand that exists in the area by providing a mixture of private, affordable and social housing," he added.

A copy of the plans, along with a Natura Impact Statement for the project, went on display in the Athlone Civic Centre and the council's headquarters in Mullingar offices on Monday of this week.

The plans will be available to view for a six-week period and they can also be accessed online via the consultation portal on the Westmeath County Council website.

Submissions or observations in relation to the proposed development can be made in writing to: An Coimisiún Pleanála, 64 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, DOI V902, up to 4pm on Friday, January 23, 2026.

The housing development was first mooted in early 2022, shortly after Westmeath County Council acquired the site for the development.

At that stage, it was being discussed as a social housing development of 108 units, consisting of 76 houses and 32 apartments.

This was subsequently revised to the current plan for a mixed-tenure 94-unit housing scheme with 47 private homes, 28 social housing units and 19 homes to be offered under the affordable housing scheme.

Cllr Keena pointed out that the site was attractively-situated.

"It's close to the town, close local shops and amenities, and I'd imagine there will be pedestrian linkages onto the Ballymahon Road there as well," he said.